Flower Power Pizza

Pizza in Padella con Fiori di Zucca Fior di Latte, Acciughe & Peperoncini

Frying Pan Pizza with Zucchini Blossoms, Mozzarella, Anchovies & Chili Flakes

Another one of my "helpless single guy wants pizza but is going to be darned if he is going to go to all the trouble of making dough just for one single serving" pizzas... made with dough from a roll... in a frying pan!

Which doesn't mean it has to be nasty, doesn't mean it isn't going to be in fact pretty spectacular- and doesn't by any way mean it will not knock your socks off!

Pizza- that means tomato sauce, too much salami, cheese, ham or other stuff on top for you to be able to tell one taste from the other and waaaay too much fat- right? Wrong! 

It can also be something different, elegant, simple and plain freaking wonderful! Like this! Look on and stop drooling already! Because if you like the sound of it, if you want to make it, it won't take any longer than 30 minutes!

So, apart from my circle of pizza dough, I needed 1 ball of mozzarella, 10-12 zucchini blossoms, 3-4 anchovies, a little olive oil, a bout 1 teaspoon of hot chili flakes... and a healthy appetite! But that was all!

Zucchini blossoms with anchovies and mozzarella are an Italian, in particular, Roman, classic combination- the perfect balance between the sweet blossoms, salty and intense fish and mild Mozzarella. 

The chili flakes are an option, as you can always of course just use regular pepper... but some like it hot! And I am one of them! lol!

I am calling the "mozzarella" I used here "fior di latte", as this was made from cows milk- and that is the Italian name for it. "Real" mozzarella is only "The Real McCoy" if it is made from buffalo milk, don't ya know!? Oh- you didn't? Well now ya do!

Ok- turn on your oven to the highest setting before you do anything else! Then lay out your pizza base in a non-stick frying pan, lay out a few slices of mozzarella, evenly spaced and dot with bits and dabs of anchovy, then sprinkle generously with chili flakes- or add pepper if that would be too hot and spicy for you. 

There is no need for any additional seasoning as the anchovies are already very salty- which is why the balance between these 2 ingredients is such a great combination!

You will need to pluck out the stamen from inside the blossoms and to give them a rinse before using them- but delicate as they might be, give them a good squeeze dry once you have washed them, to wring out any excess water. 

Press them down firmly and evenly on top of the mozzarella, whichever way you find prettiest- may as well make the most of how beautiful those blossoms are!

Spinkle a little more mozzarella over the top, drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with more chili flakes and pop onto a hot stovetop to begin the baking process in the pan... just like I always do! 

This will make the base begin to bake and become crispy, will make the mozzarella melt so that the blossom stay put... and will save you a lot of time as well as ensuring a better result!.

Once the base begins to bubble up and lift up from the bottom of the saucepan, transfer it to the oven, set to its highest setting, for 10-15 minutes, until the pizza is finished and golden and crispy as can be!

And apart from that it is pretty as a picture!

And it tastes every bit as wonderful as it looks! Word!

And if you still think ordering a pizza delivery would have been a better idea... I just give up!